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` f 1)..1'3. HART-LEY I REGLINING CHAIR. v No.` 263,174. Patented Aug.22,1882

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N. PETERS. MMW- Wnm n C- UNitnn STATES l PATENT v Orti-cn.

D. BERT HARTLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THE UNIONBRASS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

REcLlNlNme-GHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 263,174, dated August22, 1882.

Application filed March 25, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom itmay concern:

Be it known that I, D. BERT HARTLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook, in the State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inReclining-Chairs, which are fully set forth in the followingspeciiication,reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, in which-Io Figure 1 is a vertical front and rear section of a reclining-chairprovided with myuimprovements. Fig. 2 is a detailed side elevation ofone of the pair of ratchets connecting the leg- Arest with thechair-back, part of its length be- 1 5 ing broken away. Fig. 3 is a topplan view of the Achair-base, the back and cushion being removed. Fig.et is a rearelevation of the saine. Fig. 5 is a detailed section on theline aux in Fig. l, looking downward, the margin of the zo base-platebeing broken away. Fig. 6 is a transverse diametrical section of theseat-frame and its standard, looking toward the bagk of the chair.

The same letters denote the same parts in all the figures.

My invention relates to reclining-chairs; and it consists in the severaldevices and combinations of devices, which will be fully describedhereinafter, and definitely pointed out in the 3o claims, the objectbeing to .facilitate the conversion of the chair from the sittin g tothe reclining adjustment, and its adjustment in different positionshorizontally to provide for readily connecting and disconnecting theleg- 3 5 rest and chair-back, and for conveniently locking the foot-restagainst the leg-rest when the former is not in use.

In the drawings, the improvements which I am about to describe are shownin connection Y 4o with a chair of the same general construction asthose which forni the subjects of Letters Patent No. 229,701, granted tome July 6,1880, and of an application for patent tiled by mein `themonth of September, 1881, and now4 pend- 5 In the drawings, A denotesthe chair-back, hinged to the lugs b, which project upward from the rimof the seat-frame B. This chair- `back is provided with an adjustablehead-rest, 5o A. On each side of the back is pivoted the upper joint, C,of an arm-rest, which upper joint has pivoted to its farther end a lowerjoint, C. On the under side of the rim of the seat-frame B and below themiddle of the chair-back is provided in the lugs baratchet, D, whichextends forwardunder the chair-seat, and is curved in a circular arc tocorrespond to the swinging of the back. Through a slot at the forwardend of this ratchet passes the lower end of a nearly-vertical rod, E. Abutton 6o at the tip prevents it from being lifted out of the slot. Theupper end ot' this rod is pivoted to the inner end of atransverse lever,F, having its fulcrum atfon the under side of one of i the arms oftheseat-frame. The outer end of the lever extends to the margin of theseatframe, where it carries a knob or button, f', willich projects upthrough a slot in the rim of the frame, so as to be within easy reach ofthe 'occupant of the chair. All these features have 7o been alreadyshown either in the patent or in. the application referred to.

I will now proceed to describe those improvements which constitute thepresent invention.

The seat-frameB rests at its centcron an upright tubular standard, Gr,to the top of which it is rigidly aliixed; or the standard may be castin one piece with the seat-frame. In either case the standard is closedat its upper end by the plate which forms the center of the 8oseat-frame. A spindle or shaft, H, passes axially through the standard,and is rigidly set in the base-plate J. Passingthrough the center of theseat-frame at its upper end and through the corresponding diaphragm, g,at its 8 5 lower end, this spindle forms a bea-ring on which thestandard (carrying with it the seatframe) may revolve within the flangej of the base-plate. A slot, g', in the back of the standard receivesthe forward end of the ratchet D, 9o whose otherend is pivoted to theseat-frame. The length of the slot vertically is determined by thedistance through which the p ratchet is to be raised and lowered. Therod E, by which the ratchet is raised and lowered, is arranged withinthe standard Gr,`its upper end passing through an opening in the centerplate, which forms the top of standard G.

The lower joints, C', of the arm-rests are rigidly affixed totherespective ends of a rock- Ico shaft, K, which turns in boxes K',aff1xedto ,the upper side of the rim of the seat-frame,

or in other suitable bearings. From the middle of this rock-shaft arocking arm, L, extends downward and backward, so as to inclose theratchet D, with its forked end Z, and the pin Z', whichjoins the twobranches of the fork and rests in the notches of the ratchet when thelatter isin its lowest position. So long as the ratchet D is in thatposition the chair-back is securely locked at the angle corresponding tothat notch of the ratchet in which the pin Z' rests. By depressingtheknob f' the rod E will be lifted, drawing the ratchet D up out ofcontact with the pin Z'. The chairback may then be turned on its hingesinto any desiredv degree of inclination within the range limited by thehighest and lowest positions of the forked end of the rocking arm. Thenon removing the pressure from the outer end of the lever F the rod Ewill no longer hold up the forward end of the ratchet, and the ratchetwill fall so as to engage again with the pin Z' at the end of therocking arm, and the chair-back will be securely locked in its newposition. The top of the standard is slotted at the back, so as to allowthe arm L the requisite range of vibration. The fall of the forward endof the ratchet is facilitated by a spring, F', affixed at one end to theupper side of the arm, which affords a fulcrum to the lever F, andpressing the weight-arm of the lever downward with its other end. Thissecures the locking of the ratchet and the pin Z' the instant thepressure is removed from the knob f'. The suddenness with which thechair- .back would fall from a higher to a lower position on the liftingof the ratchet out of con- ',tact with pin Z' is checked by a coiledspring, M, connecting the rocking arm L with the rim lof the seat-frameB at a point under the middle of the chair-back. A perforated lug, Z2,near the middle of the arm L, affords a point of. attachmentfor theforward end of the spring.

A leg-rest, N, is pivoted to the front of the chair-frame by means ofthe hangers N', rigidly affixed to the respective ends of a rockshaft,N2. It has hinged to it a foot-rest, O. On the inner side of one of thehangers N', near its lower end, is pivotcd a hook, P, long enough `tohold the foot-rest folded against the leg-rest when they are not in use,and so short as not to come in contact with the seat-frame in itsupright position. It can thus be swung back under the seat and out ofthe way when the foot and leg rests are to be opened. On the back of theframe of the leg-rest are raised a vpair of lugs or brackets, N 3.Through holes in these passes a rod, q, which also passes through theforward ends of a pair of ratchetarms, Q, and thus connects them withthe legt rest. The rod q may be secured at its ends by a flange and nutor other equivalent fastening. The ratchet-arms Q are curved tocorrespond with the arc described by the forked end of the rocking armL, and they extend far enough back under the seat-frame for the notchesat their rear ends to engage with the pin Z', which projects beyond theforked ends of tbe lever L far enough for this purpose. By reason ofthis engagement the adjustment of the leg-rest corresponds with that ofthe chairback, the former rising, as the latter falls, to-

ward a horizontal position. By slightly lifting the rear ends oftheratchet-arms-an operation which is facilitated by their pivotal bearlingon the rod g-they may be disengaged from the pin Z', so that theleg-rest can be swung independently of the chair-back and locked in anydesired position by the engagement of its notches with the guides orears g2, which are set on the sides of the standard G and through whichthe arms Q pass. The particular arrangement of notches shown in thedrawings is such that the forward notch on each arm will engage with thecorresponding ear when the leg-rest is in a horizontal position.

It is obvious that by increasing the number of notches the number ofindependent adjustments of the leg-rest may be proportionatelyincreased.

Within the tubular standard and a little in front of the spindle H is anupright rod, B, long enough to project a little through a hole in thetop of the standard while resting in one of the sockets j of thebase-plate. A coiled spring, R', attached to the rod and to thestandard, tends by itselasticity to force thc rod down into the socket.A lever, S, pivoted at its forward end on the rock-shaft N2, is con- IOOnected by any convenient means with the upper end of the rod R, andextends back ofthe standard in the form of a loop around and over therocking arm L, with which it comes in contact just forward of the lugZ2. By releasing the chair-back by the means already described, andtipping it slightly forward, the rocking arm L will lift the free end ofthe lever S, whereby the rod R will be lifted out of the socket j', andthe chair can then be turned upon the base-plate by means of the tubularstandard, and be locked again in the opposite or (by making the numberof sockets sufficient) in any intermediate position, the spring B'forcing the rod B into any socket registering with it as soon as thelever S is released.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The upright tubular standard G, provided with the slot g' and guidesg2, in combination with the circularly-langed base-plate J, with theupright spindle H, with the seatframe B, rigidly affixed to the top ofthe stand-4 ard, with the ratchets D and Q, arranged as described, andwith means for lifting the forward end of D, substantially as and forthe purposes described.

2. In a reclining-chair, a tubular standard slotted at the back, asdescribed, a chair-back hinged to the seat-frame, a transverse rockshafthaving its bearings in theseat-frame,

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arm-rests rigidly affixed to the ends of the rock-shaft and connectedwith the chair-back, a ratchet pivoted to the back part ofthe seatframeand curving downward and forward into the slot of the standard, meansarranged within the standard for lifting the forward end of the ratchet,and a rocking arm rigidly affixed at its forward end to the rock-shaft,and forming at its rear end "a loop through which the ratchet passes,and of suitable length to engage with the notches of the ratchet whenthe latter is not lifted, all in combinatiomsubstantally as and for thepurpose described.

3. The leg-rest N, foot-rest O, hinged to the leg-rest,hangers N',pivoted tothe front of 15 the seat-frame, hook P, arranged as described,

ratchet-arms Q, pivotally connected with the

